Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $275.00 and last traded at $274.7360, with a volume of 164042 shares. The stock had previously closed at $266.97.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASND has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Ascendis Pharma A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research report on Monday, March 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $262.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $273.00 target price on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $330.00 to $326.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $295.67.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $236.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $17.09 billion, a PE ratio of 31.64 and a beta of 0.37.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $285.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $362.47 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ascendis Pharma A/S

In other news, insider Flemming Steen Jensen sold 19,460 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.49, for a total value of $4,641,015.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jean Jacques Bienaime acquired 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $237.80 per share, for a total transaction of $95,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,120. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 40.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ascendis Pharma A/S

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 4.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,441 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Certuity LLC raised its stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 1,170 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 34.0% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 272 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 550 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter.

About Ascendis Pharma A/S

Ascendis Pharma A/S is a Denmark‐based biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies for rare endocrine diseases. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Hellerup, the company leverages its proprietary TransCon drug delivery platform to create long‐acting prodrugs designed to improve safety, efficacy and patient convenience. Ascendis Pharma maintains research and development operations in Europe and the United States, with clinical studies spanning North America, Europe and Asia.

The company’s lead product, lonapegsomatropin (Skytrofa®), is a once‐weekly growth hormone therapy approved by the U.S.